Indie rock guitar god. Boy does that read funny. What's it supposed to mean? Even the term "indie rock" is tough to nail down. Sort of like "emo", but louder? Or more serious? Or something?
I wrested with these issues back when I first listened to Built To Spill's Time Trap compilation. It turns out that Doug Martsch is my kind of guitar hero. Sure, the man's got the chops, but it's his conceptions that really get me going.
Unless you're thinking about the music that's been labeled "post-rock" (Godspeed You Black Emperor, and others), one element usually missing (or more likely: avoided) from indie rock is the long song form. While bands from the art rock era loved to extend things to well beyond ten minutes, the "modern rock" crowd tends to stick to shorter songs, tighter construction.
Doug Martsch and company manage to split the difference with their music. While there are some shorter, more "traditional" tunes ("Just A Habit" and "Saturday"), what makes this record stand out are the epic, sound-shifting, almost suite-like songs. "Wherever You Go" (6:10) begins at a dark and loping, Crazy Horse tempo and builds the intensity from there. "Conventional Wisdom" (6:21) launches with an almost happy distorted guitar hook that the verses are then hung on. Midsong there's a bridge of short unison lines that introduce a blistering and majestic guitar solo. "Goin' Against Your Mind" (8:42) plays with a bunch of different textures including interlocking arpeggios, slide guitar, feedback on the verge of meltdown, and monstrous power chords. "Gone" lets the guitar slowly give way to keyboards, giving the rest of the song a completely different feel.
What I'm saying here is that Built To Spill does not often (or maybe ever) play "verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, chorus, fadeout"-type tunes.
Article comments
1 - Hal
Nice review. You're right, this is a bad-assed album.
2 - DJRadiohead
The guitar textures are very different from most "guitar hero" records I have heard. BTS does not rely on riffs or shreds- what they do is something different and I like them for it. The guitar work is compelling without relying on two of the prominent tricks in the guitarplayer playbook.
3 - Tom Johnson
The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. And I waited on this one . . . I kind of burned out on BtS a couple years back, especially after the kinda lackluster Ancient Melodies of the Future and really didn't think I had much interest in this one. But I kept looking at it in the stores every time I went in and finally just gave in and grabbed a copy. Boy was I glad I did. And, as indicated in my mid-year best-of list, it's one of the best of the year so far. I don't doubt it's going to move too far from that list, either.
4 - Connie Phillips
This article has been placed at the Advance.net websites, a site affiliated with about 12 newspapers.
One such site is here.
5 - DJRadiohead
The cover art was also inpsiring to me in picking up a copy of the album. I don't know why. Something about it.
6 - Nik
Great review, actually inspired me to pick up the album this week. Been enjoying it, too - reminds me a little of My Morning Jacket
7 - Scott Butki
Good review, Mark. I tried to review this but I didn't know enough about the band to say anything too brilliant.